President of Austria Dr. Heinz Fischer has applauded the relations between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Austria, describing them as 'excellent'. Speaking to UAE News Agency "WAM" in an interview held at the sideline of a dinner hosted by the Austrian president in honour of Muslims on Eid Al Fitr, he said "We and the UAE know each other for long time as the visits have been exchanged at different levels. There is also growing economic cooperation. We also commend the UAE's balanced stance on many international issues. Hence, I warmly greet the UAE people on the advent of Eid Al Fitr". Fischer said Austria like many other European countries faced the economic difficulties last year, but today Austria economy is witnessing growth, citing that the economy will grow by 2% in 2010. "We are proud that Austria has the least percentage of unemployed people." He noted that the ceremony hosted in honour of Muslim community representatives in Vienna, reflects mutual understanding and readiness to discuss issues of peaceful co-existence and tolerance.
